Catheters may be used to provide vascular access for a number of different procedures. For example, catheters may be inserted into a blood vessel to draw blood or deliver medications into the bloodstream of a patient. Although many catheters are intended for short-term use, some vascular access is needed for a longer period of time. For such long-term access, which may include days, weeks, or years, a central access catheter may be used to provide a more secure venous access. Typically, the central access catheter is inserted into a major vein in the neck, arms, or legs, and may be repeatedly accessed over the necessary period of time. Tunneled catheters may be used in these instances to protect the catheter from moisture and inadvertent pulling. A tunneled catheter is positioned through a subcutaneous tunnel of the patient and includes a cuff for securing the position of the catheter within the subcutaneous tunnel.
Typically, the cuff is made from a porous tissue ingrowth material and is provided at a fixed axial location along the catheter. Unfortunately, due to the various tunnel sizes and configurations, a similar cuff positioning may not be appropriate for different procedures. Additionally, cuff placement preferences may vary by clinician. As such, a supply of catheters having cuffs fixed at varying axial locations along the respective catheters may be necessary. Additionally, or alternatively, clinicians may trim the distal end of the catheter to achieve a desired cuff-to-distal tip distance. However, trimming the distal end of a catheter may remove desired distal tip features, including an atraumatic profile, which may render the catheter placement procedure more difficult.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0209206 to Scandone, Jr. (hereinafter Scandone) teaches a catheter securable cuff having two body portions securable to each other about the catheter body at a location selected by a practitioner. In particular, the two cuff portions are separately slidable along the catheter prior to coupling, but include complementary catheter-gripping sections that cooperate with each other to grip the catheter upon assembly. Although the catheter securable cuff of Scandone may provide a means for selecting and fixing cuff placement relative to a catheter, it should be appreciated that there is a continuing need for efficient and effective catheter assemblies for catheter placement procedures.
The present disclosure is directed toward one or more of the problems or issues set forth above.